1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:17,160 I want to talk a moment about the God who sees. 2 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:24,120 The God who sees. 3 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:40,240 I think it is most unfortunate that mothers are only seen on Mother's Day. 4 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:51,040 And beyond that, I think it is most unfortunate that we highlight and spotlight motherhood 5 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,600 as we ought. 6 00:00:54,600 --> 00:01:02,400 But what about the woman who cannot conceive? 7 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:09,840 What about the woman who has had multiple miscarriages? 8 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:16,640 What about the mother whose child has died? 9 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:22,120 What about the mothers whose children have broken their hearts and not even called them 10 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:26,720 because they don't even know where they are? 11 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:31,280 Or what about the mother with toddlers who are struggling just to keep her head above 12 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:41,080 water because nobody sees you? 13 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:46,960 Nobody sees you cleaning toilets. 14 00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:50,400 Nobody sees you cooking. 15 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:55,680 Nobody sees you changing dirty diapers. 16 00:01:55,680 --> 00:02:04,240 And after a while, you get so wrapped up in being somebody's mother, somebody's Uber 17 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:10,960 driver, somebody's satellite guide. 18 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:20,120 Somebody's phone book that you don't even remember that you used to have a brain. 19 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,680 You went to college. 20 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,440 You studied your lesson. 21 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,200 You were a woman before you were a mother. 22 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:32,520 You could think, you could dress yourself. 23 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:46,600 But now all you are is something to somebody else and you rarely, if ever, seen. 24 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:53,400 As a mother, you are nothing but hands to your children. 25 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:57,640 Can you hand me this? 26 00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:01,080 Can you open this? 27 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,680 Can you untie this? 28 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,640 Can you tie that? 29 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:13,520 Don't forget you have to pick me up at 4.30. 30 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:20,560 And so for the rest of your afternoon over into the night, you are somebody's driver. 31 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,760 You're somebody's cook. 32 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,360 You're somebody's cleaning lady. 33 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,200 You're somebody's sex object. 34 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:35,520 Because nobody sees you. 35 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:42,080 Sometimes it gets so bad that you're on the phone and they are pulling on you and talking 36 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:48,720 to you and you're just trying to have a moment's peace and you have to say to them, can't you 37 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:53,240 see I'm doing something? 38 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,400 Can't you see I'm on the phone? 39 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,560 Can't you see I'm trying to take a nap? 40 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,840 Can't you see how tired I am? 41 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,360 Because nobody sees you. 42 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:16,880 But I need to say this before I get into this little sermon, that the highest achievement 43 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:26,120 of womanhood is not marriage nor even motherhood. 44 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:38,360 The highest achievement of womanhood is seeing the God who sees you. 45 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:39,360 I want you to get this. 46 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,160 I'm trying to move into the text. 47 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,560 But I want you to get this. 48 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:53,120 Hagar is the only person in the Bible who gives God a name. 49 00:04:53,120 --> 00:05:05,360 Hagar is the only person, man or woman in all of scripture who calls God by a name. 50 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:12,840 Abraham named the place where God met his need. 51 00:05:12,840 --> 00:05:18,840 Jacob named the place where God met his need. 52 00:05:18,840 --> 00:05:24,680 Hagar names God. 53 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:32,760 All the names of God are associated with places where God met needs. 54 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,080 Jehovah Jarrah. 55 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,760 Jehovah Sid Canoe. 56 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:39,760 Jehovah Shalom. 57 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:41,520 Jehovah Nisi. 58 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:48,360 All of those names of God are places where God met needs. 59 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:53,640 But Hagar names God. 60 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:57,160 El Roa. 61 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:02,560 God who sees me. 62 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:08,560 Walk with me around the text. 63 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:19,880 Hagar is caught in a love triangle between Abraham and his wife, Sarah, because Abraham's 64 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:25,280 wife has been unable to conceive. 65 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:34,960 And at the age of 75, God promised him that his seed could not be numbered. 66 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:43,320 Now here he is, 86, and Sarah has not conceived. 67 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:54,480 And so, Sarah says to him, why don't you take my Egyptian girl, my slave girl, my maid, 68 00:06:54,480 --> 00:07:02,920 Hagar, go into her and maybe I can have children by her. 69 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:09,600 When? 70 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:18,440 This old man, this young girl, and his wife is with it. 71 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:22,320 His wife encourages it. 72 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:27,880 Abraham says, you ain't saying nothing but a word. 73 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:36,960 She goes in to Hagar and Hagar conceives. 74 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:45,440 And when Hagar can have a baby for Abram, she looks at Sarah and says, I got something 75 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:49,240 you don't have. 76 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:54,160 You got a ring, but I got a baby. 77 00:07:54,160 --> 00:08:00,360 And the Bible says she despises her mistress. 78 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:07,080 And then, Sarah says to Abram, you got to get rid of this gal, because I don't like 79 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:10,920 how she's looking at me. 80 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:12,600 I don't like her tone. 81 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,000 I don't like her attitude. 82 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,240 She don't answer me like she used to answer. 83 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,040 She don't come right away when I call her like she used to. 84 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:28,160 It looked like she got her attitude, so one of us got to go. 85 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:34,840 Sarah must have been a black woman. 86 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:39,280 You got a choice, Mr. Abraham. 87 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:44,360 Her army. 88 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,440 Abram said, that's your slave girl. 89 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:54,640 You told me to go in there and have my way. 90 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,880 Do what you please. 91 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:02,160 And they run her off. 92 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:12,360 Hagar is caught in Abram and Sarah's mess, because what they are trying to do is what 93 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:26,480 many of us try to do, and that's run ahead of God to get blessings that he didn't intend. 94 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:36,160 And now, because you did not wait on God, you're in a mess. 95 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:42,680 Because you ran ahead of God's plan for your life. 96 00:09:42,680 --> 00:09:43,680 You've messed up. 97 00:09:43,680 --> 00:09:50,720 You've short circuited your own destiny. 98 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:56,280 And Hagar is dismissed, put out. 99 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:58,600 But notice how they refer to her. 100 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:02,200 They never hardly call her by name. 101 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:10,200 They call her that Egyptian woman, that slave girl, that maid. 102 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:14,640 They hardly ever call her by name, because she is a pawn. 103 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:20,960 She is somebody to be used. 104 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:27,000 She is just to be used for this infertile couple. 105 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,720 She's just there as an instrument. 106 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:33,640 She's just there almost like a piece of furniture. 107 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:43,040 She's a nobody, because they always refer to her not by who she is, but by what she 108 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:46,400 can be. 109 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:52,120 That Egyptian, that slave girl, that maid. 110 00:10:52,120 --> 00:11:02,280 And they call her by her appellations, because her name would mean she's significant. 111 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:10,360 And everybody in here this morning, every woman particularly in here this morning, wants 112 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:13,800 to be seen. 113 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:27,640 Not for hips or shape or face or hair or thighs, but a woman wants to be seen, not for 114 00:11:27,640 --> 00:11:41,360 what she is, but for who she is. 115 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:50,000 In certain Zulu areas of South Africa, people do not greet each other by saying hello or 116 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,120 good morning or good afternoon or good evening. 117 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:59,760 They greet one another with the phrase, sa wubona. 118 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:07,120 Sa wubona in Zulu, sa wubona means I see you. 119 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,000 Not hello. 120 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:10,560 Not good morning. 121 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:16,400 Not how, not how you're doing, but I see you. 122 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:17,960 Sa wubona. 123 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:25,720 And the response to sa wubona is shiboka, which means I would not exist if you didn't 124 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:30,560 see me. 125 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:34,080 People want to be seen. 126 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:41,800 People need to be seen, because to be seen is to be significant. 127 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:46,360 To be seen is to be safe. 128 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:56,200 Because when somebody sees you, when somebody sees you, they are acknowledging your personhood. 129 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:59,520 They are acknowledging that you have needs. 130 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:01,400 You have desires. 131 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:02,880 You have a mind. 132 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:04,320 You're not just a cook. 133 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:05,920 You're not just a chauffeur. 134 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:07,600 You're not just a sex object. 135 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:09,560 You're not just an Uber driver. 136 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:15,320 You're not just somebody to clean up behind somebody, but you are so significant that 137 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:22,720 I see you when you don't think I'm looking at you. 138 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:30,840 And then when you are seen and when you are significant, you feel safe. 139 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:33,160 You feel loved. 140 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:35,400 You feel adored. 141 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:44,320 You feel cherish for something other than somebody to be used. 142 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:48,440 They used Hagar. 143 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:50,880 Sarah did it. 144 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:53,080 Abram did it. 145 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:56,760 They used her. 146 00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:00,680 And that was ungodly. 147 00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:09,120 Remember brothers and sisters, godly people can do some ungodly things. 148 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:19,200 And Hagar is suffering because of the ungodliness of two godly people. 149 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:22,920 She does not deserve her suffering. 150 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:33,520 And god takes her suffering and redeems it. 151 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:38,640 And I want to tell some mother in here, some father in here, some Christian in here who's 152 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:43,040 going through or have been through or about to go through some pain. 153 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:47,920 God will not waste your pain. 154 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:51,920 God will take your suffering and turn it into joy. 155 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:55,720 God will take your sorrow and turn it into laughter. 156 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:59,680 God will take your misery and turn it into peace. 157 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,760 God will take your struggle and turn it into strut. 158 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:10,160 God will take what's going on bad in your life and turn it into good for all things. 159 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:12,160 I wish I had a Bible reader. 160 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:20,320 All things work together for good to them that love God and to those who are the called 161 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:25,040 according to his purpose. 162 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:28,840 I need somebody in here this morning who's been through it. 163 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:33,360 And now you're on the other side of it and you're looking back on it and now you got 164 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:40,640 to testify it was nobody but Jesus. 165 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:46,040 I almost lost my mind but the Lord kept me. 166 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:51,200 I almost gave up hope but God put his arms around me. 167 00:15:51,200 --> 00:16:01,920 It looked like I would never come out of it but here I am this morning because I have 168 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:14,000 a God who sees me. 169 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:24,680 And beloved you may not see him but he sees you. 170 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:27,480 I wish I had a witness. 171 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:30,280 He sees you down sitting. 172 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:32,720 He sees you uprising. 173 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,440 He sees when your heart is broken. 174 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,160 He sees when you can't see your way. 175 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:41,400 He sees when you've been slandered and lied on. 176 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,520 He sees when you're broken and wounded. 177 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:47,960 He sees when you can't seem to make it another week. 178 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,320 He sees when you're tired. 179 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:55,640 He sees when you're broken. 180 00:16:55,640 --> 00:17:00,960 He sees you. 181 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:05,120 He sees you. 182 00:17:05,120 --> 00:17:08,520 He sees you. 183 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:11,640 He sees you. 184 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,960 He sees you. 185 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:19,800 He sees you. 186 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,320 He sees you. 187 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:24,880 He sees you. 188 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:25,880 You. 189 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:26,880 You. 190 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:27,880 You. 191 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:28,880 You. 192 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:29,880 You. 193 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:30,880 You. 194 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:44,480 You see you and me at the same time and don't get us mixed up. 195 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:49,440 He sees you when you're crying and nobody knows it. 196 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:53,840 He sees it when you're hurting but you laugh to keep from crying. 197 00:17:53,840 --> 00:18:00,080 He sees you when you're on your knees asking him for just a one more day of strength. 198 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,400 He sees you when you look like you're not going to be able to get yourself together. 199 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:09,880 He sees you when you get dressed up on the outside but you're torn up on the inside. 200 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,480 He sees you when you're frightened. 201 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:14,880 He sees you when you're scared. 202 00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,800 He sees you when you can't understand yourself. 203 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:27,120 He sees you. 204 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:34,320 And so why should I feel discouraged? 205 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:37,680 Why should the shadows come? 206 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:43,800 Why should my heart be long and long for heaven and home? 207 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:53,480 When Jesus is my push, a constant friend is he. 208 00:18:53,480 --> 00:19:01,480 Jesus is on the sparrow and I'm not guessing about it. 209 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:03,880 I'm not doubting it. 210 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:08,920 I'm not diffident about it. 211 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:09,920 No. 212 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:14,680 I wish I had somebody to help me. 213 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,000 I know he's watching me. 214 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,440 I know he sees me. 215 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:24,640 I know he loves me. 216 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,920 Jesus loves me. 217 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:38,920 This I know because the Bible tells me so. 218 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:43,480 Little ones to him belong. 219 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:48,440 They are weak but he is strong. 220 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:53,440 Jesus loves me. 221 00:19:53,440 --> 00:20:00,440 Jesus loves me. 222 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:07,440 Jesus loves me. 223 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:11,440 Here she is. 224 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:15,120 Here she is. 225 00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:22,840 She's gone off by Abram and Sarai. 226 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:32,600 She's out in the wilderness by herself afraid alone. 227 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:36,680 Called everything but her name. 228 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:38,800 That Egyptian. 229 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:41,480 That slave. 230 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:43,840 That maid. 231 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:47,800 Here she is alone. 232 00:20:47,800 --> 00:21:03,720 But in her despair, in her loneliness, God sees. 233 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:07,320 God comes to her and says, where you going? 234 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,160 Where you coming from? 235 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:18,120 And not only does Hegar, is Hegar the only person in the Bible who gives God a name. 236 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:26,200 She's had the longest conversation with God than any woman, almost any man in the scripture. 237 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:32,640 She said, I'm running away from my mistress. 238 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:40,320 And God says to her, go back to your mistress and obey. 239 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:48,640 Get back under her command because your mistress ain't taking care of you. 240 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:55,480 Abram is not taking care of you. 241 00:21:55,480 --> 00:22:00,440 I will take care of you. 242 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:02,480 Somebody don't help me talk it. 243 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:05,960 Your job is not taking care of you. 244 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,960 No man is taking care of you. 245 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:18,880 God got his eyes on you. 246 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:24,080 You want to know why you look so good in your 70s? 247 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:28,680 God is taking care of you. 248 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:33,400 You want to know how you were able to raise your children by yourself? 249 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,320 God is taking care of you. 250 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:40,880 You want to know how you still in your house and other folk who don't have as much as you 251 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:42,760 have can hardly make it. 252 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:47,600 You want to know how you're still doing well and people thought you'd been way under by 253 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:48,600 now. 254 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:57,280 God is taking care of you. 255 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:01,080 Somebody says go back. 256 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,840 Submit yourself to your mistress. 257 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:12,280 God taught Haggar some things that he's teaching us this morning. 258 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:17,200 And what God taught Haggar is what I want to help us to understand this morning, that 259 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:24,440 that is a certainty connected with God's eyesight. 260 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:33,440 It's called theologically amnesia. 261 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:46,000 Amnesia means that God is in full possession of total knowledge. 262 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:52,920 God knows everything. 263 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:58,000 The Greeks said or called him Phaos. 264 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,720 That's God's person. 265 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:05,600 God personally knows everything. 266 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:10,560 And then God's presence is another word. 267 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,560 It's omnipresence. 268 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:19,560 Not only does God know everything. 269 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:26,960 He knows everything not just because of who he is, but he knows everything because of 270 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:32,560 where he is. 271 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:39,160 He's everywhere at the same time. 272 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:43,120 And the everywareness of God. 273 00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:44,120 That's not a word. 274 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:46,080 I just made it up. 275 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:56,040 The everywareness of God is that God cannot not be everywhere. 276 00:24:56,040 --> 00:25:04,520 Because he sees everything everywhere at the same time. 277 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:12,440 His omniscience means that God cannot not know. 278 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:21,920 His omnipresence means that God cannot be in Houston and not be in Hawaii. 279 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:27,800 Because he's everywhere at the same time. 280 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:38,520 But then his everywareness, his omnipresence that falls into his omniscience unfolds into 281 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:42,160 his omnipotence. 282 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:51,280 Not only does he know everything and not only is he everywhere, but he can do anything. 283 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:58,080 Because his omnipotence means he has all power. 284 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:05,400 Not only who he is and where he is, but we know that God certainly can see us because 285 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:09,720 of what he does. 286 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:15,840 He's constantly looking out for us. 287 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:18,920 That word sees is in the present tense. 288 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:23,040 Meaning that God doesn't just look at you and then look away. 289 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,800 Here's the shout. 290 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:33,640 Due to the frailty of my human construction, if I'm talking to one person, I cannot talk 291 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:40,640 to another person at the same time because I have to unsee who I was previously looking 292 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,080 at. 293 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:51,280 But the way God sees is he can see everybody at the same time and talk to you as if you 294 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,440 were the only person on earth. 295 00:26:54,440 --> 00:27:04,680 As a matter of fact, if you were the only you alive, he would have sent Jesus to die 296 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:08,160 just for you. 297 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:12,360 Because God loves you just that much. 298 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:18,880 God is interested in you just that much. 299 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:24,400 I hope sometimes after church when I'm down here shaking hands, I hope I'm not offended 300 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:30,800 by the offensive to people because sometimes people who want to talk to me and I praise 301 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:36,080 God for that, I love being down here among the people because I believe shepherds ought 302 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:38,840 to smell like sheep. 303 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:44,040 I love getting around and getting into congregation and I would stay down here to shake hands 304 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:48,280 with every person who wants to shake my hand. 305 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:52,240 But I can't talk to two people at a time. 306 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:56,280 And then if you want to talk to me and other people are in the line to shake my hand and 307 00:27:56,280 --> 00:28:03,120 to greet me and I want to greet them, I can't have a 15 minute conversation with you. 308 00:28:03,120 --> 00:28:09,880 Because I do not like talking to one person and then somebody else is on the side of me 309 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:14,480 and I'm ignoring that person because I think it's rude for me to ignore somebody I was 310 00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:17,720 just talking to and you pulling on me trying to get my attention. 311 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:18,720 And God bless you. 312 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:19,720 I appreciate that. 313 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:21,320 I want to hear what you have to say. 314 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:24,680 And let me quit hearing what they just said. 315 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:29,160 And then I can hear what you have to say because I can't deal with two people at the same time 316 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:35,120 because it would be rude for me to turn my back on one and not talk to that one. 317 00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:44,040 But God can talk to both of us at the same time because he's just that kind of God. 318 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:47,280 God is not limited by time or space. 319 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:52,120 God is not limited because three people or four people or two million people want to 320 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:53,920 talk to him at the same time. 321 00:28:53,920 --> 00:29:00,400 He can hear your faintest cry. 322 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:01,400 And he'll answer. 323 00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:06,400 Bye and bye. 324 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:09,600 And then here's another thing. 325 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:14,880 People want to ask me a question on Sunday and I'm full of the spirit after I get through 326 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:15,880 preaching. 327 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:21,520 And you will ask me something that you want to do or something you want me to do and I 328 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:26,080 will gladly say I'm all over it. 329 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:28,080 I'm going to do it. 330 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:30,600 That's already done. 331 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:38,320 Don't believe anything I just told you. 332 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:45,280 The only time you can believe me on Sunday is when I'm preaching. 333 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:50,680 And when I'm down here I'm just trying to get to the next hand to shake and go on about 334 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:53,600 my business because I don't believe none of that. 335 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:54,960 That's not true. 336 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:57,280 I'm just telling the truth when I'm preaching. 337 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:00,600 I don't remember that as soon as I get in the car. 338 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:07,120 But God remembers. 339 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,680 God hears your prayers. 340 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:15,640 God answers your supplication and God will never tell you something that he will not 341 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:16,800 do. 342 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:22,040 He promised that I will never leave you nor forsake you. 343 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:26,640 That's the certainty of God's omnipotence. 344 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:30,040 That's the certainty of God's omnipresence. 345 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:32,680 That's the certainty of God's omniscience. 346 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:38,200 But then not only is there a certainty to how God sees us. 347 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:42,720 There's a consequence to how he sees us. 348 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:49,240 God knows me and you personally. 349 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:52,600 He knows what you have on. 350 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,040 He knows what you're going to eat when you leave here. 351 00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:59,920 He knows what you're going to do tonight before you go to bed. 352 00:30:59,920 --> 00:31:04,220 He knows what you're going to do tomorrow before you even go to work. 353 00:31:04,220 --> 00:31:06,440 He knows when you're going to put gas in your car. 354 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,040 He knows what kind of shoes you're going to wear. 355 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,400 He knows what kind of food you like to eat. 356 00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:13,760 He knows how much money is in your account. 357 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:16,960 He knows who's on your Facebook page. 358 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,800 He knows who you're looking at on Twitter. 359 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:26,960 He knows everything about you personally. 360 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:33,280 He knows how many hairs are on your head. 361 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:37,560 And when you comb your hair, some hair falls out. 362 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,840 And you got to start counting all over again. 363 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:49,760 And if God loves you enough to count hairs on your head, not only does he know you personally, 364 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:56,360 but he knows you perfectly. 365 00:31:56,360 --> 00:32:00,440 He knows your flaws. 366 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:03,600 He knows your imperfections. 367 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:08,680 He knows the things about you that's wrong and crooked. 368 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:10,960 He knows your habits. 369 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:14,720 He knows how quirky you can be sometimes. 370 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:20,200 He knows how sometimes you are when you don't get your way. 371 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,080 He knows how mean you can be. 372 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:26,720 He knows how stubborn you are. 373 00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:32,200 He knows the words that you say. 374 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:37,080 He knows how you look at somebody and smile, but in your heart you're saying, girl, I can't 375 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:41,440 stand this guy. 376 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:46,520 He knows that Sunday look from that Friday look. 377 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:56,600 He knows everything about you personally and perfectly, and he still loves you. 378 00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:58,800 Listen to this. 379 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:00,120 I'm almost done. 380 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:02,440 Listen to this. 381 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:14,160 Most people can't stand you on hearsay. 382 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:23,480 But God loves you with perfect information. 383 00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:25,320 Some folks don't like you just looking at you. 384 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:27,000 They just don't like how you look. 385 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,080 You don't look like somebody they would like. 386 00:33:29,080 --> 00:33:30,280 They don't know your name. 387 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:31,640 They don't know anything about you. 388 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:33,160 They don't know your background. 389 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:34,440 They don't know what you've been through. 390 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:36,120 They don't know what you're up against. 391 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:41,320 They just look at you and say, she sure looked arrogant to me. 392 00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:43,200 He sure looked mean to me. 393 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:44,200 They don't even know you. 394 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:51,640 They know nothing about you, and they despise you on what they don't know. 395 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:58,680 God loves you with what he does know. 396 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:03,480 So if somebody loves me and knows everything about me, you think I care about somebody 397 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:09,520 who don't know me and don't love me? 398 00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:15,320 Stop letting people circumscribe you into the little faults and definitions of you. 399 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:17,480 God loves you. 400 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:23,200 God made you in His image. 401 00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:26,080 He knows you personally. 402 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:28,720 He knows you perfectly. 403 00:34:28,720 --> 00:34:32,960 Then He knows you persistently. 404 00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:37,920 God just keeps on seeing you. 405 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:41,920 When your children are out of your sight, you can't see them. 406 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:44,520 But God sees them. 407 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:50,560 You are never out of range of God's eyesight. 408 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:54,040 God sees you. 409 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:58,280 This word and I'm through. 410 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:07,200 This certainty and this consequence gives us comfort. 411 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:13,080 I was a student at Bishop College, a freshman at Bishop College, and Dr. Harry Wright, who 412 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:18,600 was Dean of the Chapel, Carpy Collins Chapel at Bishop, and Dr. John Mangrum, Professor 413 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:22,600 of Homo Lettics at Bishop College. 414 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:28,200 Dr. Harry Wright and Dr. Mangrum were sitting together in the Union Building having lunch. 415 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:29,200 I had met them. 416 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:31,000 I'd been in Dr. Mangrum's class. 417 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:35,360 I took Christianity 101 from Dr. Harry Wright. 418 00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:38,960 I knew them, just seeing them in person, admired them. 419 00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:44,280 They were seated at the lunch table, and I knew that that conversation would be too deep 420 00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:46,600 for me. 421 00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:52,560 So I sat over there where people in my depth sat. 422 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:56,440 Because even as a young preacher, I knew my place. 423 00:35:56,440 --> 00:36:01,520 I knew not to get in that deep water, because whatever they were going to talk about was 424 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:07,200 too deep for my little finite, infinitesimal mind. 425 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:10,760 But I overheard their conversation. 426 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:19,640 And Dr. Wright said to Dr. Mangrum, John, what is it about God that terrifies you? 427 00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:22,800 And Dr. Mangrum didn't stop eating. 428 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:27,640 He looked at Dr. Wright and he said, Harry, the same thing about God that terrifies me 429 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:31,640 is the same thing about God that makes me love Him. 430 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:37,720 And Dr. Wright said, what is it, John, what is it about God that terrifies you and makes 431 00:36:37,720 --> 00:36:39,400 you love Him at the same time? 432 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:45,440 Dr. Mangrum said, His eyesight. 433 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:48,800 His eyesight terrifies me. 434 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:52,320 But His eyesight also makes me love Him. 435 00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:57,320 He sees everything that terrifies me. 436 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:03,600 He sees everything that makes me love Him. 437 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:06,800 Somebody ought to help me close here. 438 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:19,680 When Abram and Sarai put Haggar out and left her with a child to die, in chapter 16, God 439 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:23,960 sees. 440 00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:31,960 I'm through, but in chapter 21, God hears. 441 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:38,560 Because Haggar has taken Ishmael and put him under a tree to die. 442 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:47,240 And she's weeping, and God not only sees her, but he hears her. 443 00:37:47,240 --> 00:37:54,240 And then God says, Haggar, what's healing you? 444 00:37:54,240 --> 00:38:00,600 She said, me and my boy are out here by ourselves, and we're about to die. 445 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:05,080 I left him out there under the tree, and he's going to die first. 446 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:10,640 And I can't stand to be where he is to watch him die. 447 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:21,320 And then the Bible says, watch this, God opened her eyes. 448 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:35,640 Because not only does God see you, He wants you to see Him. 449 00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:44,840 And when you see Him, it changes your life. 450 00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:51,200 When you see Him, when you open your eyes, when you let your pride go, when you let your 451 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:57,480 ego aside, when you stop acting like you can make it by yourself, when you realize that 452 00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:03,080 it was nobody but God who was keeping you all the time, when you open your eyes and 453 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:10,920 see that you didn't graduate because you were so smart. 454 00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:15,360 You didn't get a job because you were so talented. 455 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:20,680 You didn't keep yourself in a foreign country because you were so intelligent. 456 00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:26,040 It was nobody but God. 457 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:33,920 And if you're sensitive for just a minute, look in the rear view mirror of your life 458 00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:39,800 and see where you came from and see where you are right now. 459 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:45,960 And if you don't shout something wrong with you, if you can't be grateful, if you can't 460 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:53,040 be thankful, just ask God for just a minute, open my eyes. 461 00:39:53,040 --> 00:40:09,440 And God opened Hagar's eyes and she called God El Rui. 462 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:16,800 I have seen the God who sees me. 463 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:19,680 He sees you so much. 464 00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:26,800 He hears you so much that He knows what you need before you ask Him. 465 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:30,840 He's already handled it before it even comes in your life. 466 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:35,120 He's already taken care of it before you even realize that you have a need in the first 467 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:36,120 place. 468 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:42,920 But the greatest need of every last one of us is a saviour. 469 00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:49,400 And so before we knew we even needed to be saved, He sent Jesus to the cross. 470 00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:54,560 To die in our place, to be raised for our justification. 471 00:40:54,560 --> 00:41:01,080 And right now He's seated on the right hand of God with power, and He ever lives to make 472 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:02,080 intercession for us. 473 00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:27,460 H scared of Adimeān yīz früher than Him but under His presence.